Feds recall another 2 million drop-side cribs

June 24, 2010

In a sign of the lingering danger posed by a common baby product, federal regulators on Thursday recalled another 2 million drop-side cribs for deadly hazards.

The moveable sides that raise and lower on such cribs make it easier to whisk away crying babies without straining parents' backs. But the sides repeatedly malfunctioned in ways that were hard to spot, leading to horrific scenes in nurseries around the nation.

When the sides separate from the crib, babies' bodies can slip into the resulting gap. Their heads get trapped, and they hang to death or suffocate. At least 32 children died when their drop-side cribs malfunctioned, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said another 14 babies' deaths may be linked to drop sides.

Now, after years of missed warnings, regulators and companies are taking actions that signal the end of the line for the drop-side crib.

Thursday's sweeping recall put to rest the idea that these problems were isolated to a couple of companies that mass-produced cheap cribs in China. The recall included cribs made in the United States, Italy, Canada and seven other countries. Some cost as much as $500.

"Don't use a drop-side crib. Period," said Nancy Cowles, who for years has pushed for stronger safety rules for cribs as executive director of Kids In Danger, a Chicago-based advocacy group.

The Tribune first exposed the dangers of these faulty cribs in 2007 as part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning series. That prompted the first of the big drop-side crib recalls. Thursday's recall includes certain models under the Child Craft, Delta Enterprise, Evenflo, Jardine, Bona Vita, Babi Italia, ISSI, Million Dollar Baby and Simmons brands. The action brings to 9 million the number of drop-side cribs that have been recalled in recent years.

More than 250 consumers reported that the drop sides failed on these cribs, which were manufactured between 2000 and 2009, the safety commission said. When the sides separated, 44 babies fell from their cribs or were trapped but freed in time, the agency said. One baby was knocked unconscious and had to be hospitalized. Another broke a collarbone, the agency said.

Six of the manufacturers offered their customers kits designed to immobilize the moving sides of their cribs, and another offered a $25 to $50 rebate on the purchase of a new crib. The head of the CPSC has vowed to include a ban on drop sides in mandatory crib rules likely to be enacted before the end of this year.